Former St. Louis Blues linemate Geoff Courtnall is still amazed by Adam Oates’ passing dexterity almost 22 years after the fact.

Adam Oates was one of the greatest set-up men in NHL history, amassing 1,079 assists over his 19-year career.

By:Mark ZwolinskiSports Reporter, Published on Thu Nov 08 2012

Adam Oates could do astounding things on the ice, subtle things that defenders knew would happen but were almost powerless to prevent.

Just ask Geoff Courtnall. The Victoria native played on Oates’ line with Brett Hull on the 1990 St. Louis Blues, and Courtnall is still amazed by Oates’ passing dexterity almost 22 years after the fact.

“There are very few guys who could even do something that Adam did, and was a master at,” said Courtnall, who would be the answer to a Hall of Fame weekend trivia contest: who was the other winger on the Hull and Oates line?

“The puck would come along the boards and he’d go from his forehand to his backhand along the boards and he’d shovel the puck out into the slot without the puck stopping. It was all in one fluid motion. . . . I scored a lot off it and so did Brett.

“Players never even expected something like that, and Adam did it and did it so fast, all in one motion. If you watch the replays you’ll see it. I tried to do it and it was impossible . . . to just scoop the puck up and shovel it across, and it came off his backhand. I asked him how the heck he did it and he just came over and said here’s how you do it, like it was simple. I was saying, wow, I was amazed.”

Oates will be enshrined in part for his passing, and tributes to the Toronto native and his skill set have been pouring in since June, when he was notified of his induction by Hall of Fame selection committee members Pat Quinn and Jim Gregory.

Oates’ artistry equalled that of any of the great passers in NHL history — Peter Stastny, Stan Mikita, Joe Thornton, Peter Forsberg, Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby and so on.

Though he was never drafted and didn’t begin his NHL career until age 23, he would lead the NHL in assists three times, finish in the top 10 12 times, and finish second only to Gretzky as the top assist man of the 1990s.

He also claims the distinction of being the only player in NHL history to centre three 50-goal scorers — Hull, Cam Neely (Boston) and Peter Bondra (Washington). Oates finished his career with 1,079 assists, and was a craftsman right to the end of his career, leading the league in that department at age 39 in 2001-02.

“I don’t know where he got it from, maybe it was all the lacrosse he played,” Courtnall said. “But I can tell you not many guys could do it.”

Though he never won a Stanley Cup, Oates is proud of his 19-year career and says he wouldn’t trade the time he spent playing with Hull for anything.

Courtnall said Oates laughed and carried on with teammates in the dressing room, but was quiet and laid-back in private.

Being the “other guy” on the Hull and Oates line was still a hockey boom time for Courtnall, who tallied 27 goals and 30 assists in the 1990-91 season playing with Oates in St. Louis.

“There were definitely plays we’d talk about,” said Courtnall, who went on to become the founder of the successful Lupaka Gold Corp., and was recently appointed a consultant at Trinity Financial Sports and Entertainment Management Co.

“I started with Adam and then with Adam and Brett. Adam was amazing on faceoffs. Again, if you look at the videos you’d see a couple of things. First, if you got the puck to Brett anywhere, it’s in. So there was Adam and Brett and Adam would win faceoffs clean, so fast, and it’s out to Brett and into the back of the net. I remember a night in Buffalo, it was a set play, Adam wins the faceoff and the puck is in the net as soon as it hit the ice.”

Oates and Hull would often kid Courtnall about being the “other guy,” which made their short time as a unit that much more enjoyable.

“I’d block the guy going to Brett, I’d jump in the way or something to give Brett that time, and it wasn’t much time that he needed,” Courtnall said.

“It’s funny because Adam knew where he’d get me the puck. One of his favourite plays was to look to the right wing and hit me with a pass in full stride. He’d pass across his body though and everyone knew it was coming but he was so great at doing that that no one could break up the play.”

Oates is now awaiting the end of the NHL lockout so he can embark on the next phase of his hockey life — beginning his first season as coach of the Washington Capitals.

“He has lots of great ideas and in the game today you have to adjust on the fly,” Courtnall said. “I was watching the NHL playoffs last spring and teams would get down to the last few minutes in a close game and they wouldn’t call timeouts, and it cost them. I don’t think Adam Oates makes those mistakes. He knows how to win.”

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